The Power of Emotional Freedom
What if I were to tell you that the greatest forces in the universe come not from the world around us, but rather in the battlefield inside of us? What if I told you that on this battlefield, the bloodiest wars have been fought? And what if I told you that despite all the bloodshed, the means to achieving everlasting peace on this battlefield have been right in front of our eyes this whole time?
The battlefield I am referring to is the one known as our emotions. Emotions are the stimuli that lead to intense feelings of elation and wondrous joy that takes us into another dimension. Emotions are also the destructive stimuli that lead to pain, suffering, fear, and depression.
Emotions can be a very freeing stimuli, however they can also be the most dangerous stimuli on the face of the planet. While positive emotions can lead to peace and happiness, negative emotions can lead to aggression and destroy many of our personal relationships. As Christ says in Mark 3:25, “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” Negative emotions are the forces that divide us from one another and perpetuate the cycle of suffering.
We often believe that our lives are lived at the behest of our emotions. However what is often not realized is that this is only so if we allow it to be. A man is only a slave if he chooses to accept his servitude. Rarely do people realize that emotions do not simply happen, but are rather chosen.
Emotions arise from our reactions to occurrences in our lives. The reactions are often quick, which blur the fact that we do have the ability to choose our demeanor at all times. How can this be done, you may be asking? This can be achieved by using the wonderful tool known as conscious thought to rationalize our emotions.
This is a trick I learned from Adam Kokesh, who tells everyone he meets, “You are a free, beautiful, and independent human being. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” These words changed my life, and if you would like to be able to choose your demeanor at all times, I am hoping they can guide yours as well.
The most powerful form of freedom is emotional freedom. Once you are able to refuse to be a slave to your emotions, you will have unlocked the heavily bolted gates of liberty. Good will triumph and evil will lose, since no one will be able to control you.
Unlocking emotional freedom starts by becoming cognizant of your every feeling and keeping an active mind. When a feeling begins to overwhelm you, think back to Adam’s words. You are a free, beautiful, and independent human being. Then try to rationalize your feelings and put them into perspective. Ask yourself what unmet needs of yours are being accomplished by feeling the way you do.
If you are able to conclude that the feeling is a hindrance to meeting that need, then you have rationally deduced that it is not beneficial for you to feel this way. Map out the different paths you can take to meet this need, and choose what is most beneficial for you. Put a smile on your face and choose a positive demeanor.
If anyone ever tries to bring you down, chances are that they are in a state of suffering themselves. Instead of letting their negativity get the best of you, put on a big smile and utter Adam’s words to them. This very simple message may just be the antidote others need to hear in order to start living happily.
Rationalizing your emotions will not only help you enrich your life, but will help you become a positive influence for those around you. Once you are able to master this art, you can live in a perpetual state of happiness and rid your life of all negativity. Ridding ourselves of these negative emotions will rid our lives of aggression and ensure for more peaceful and longer lasting interactions with those we care about most.
If you wish to start living happy, you can do so today. Once you let stress enslave your life, you lose. Stand up and tell these negative influences, “No, I will not succumb to your rule.” Start living free today, and you will be able to chart your own destiny.
If you wish to learn more about mastering emotional freedom, I highly recommend reading Nonviolent Communications by Marshall Rosenberg. Chances are that you may already wish to change your life but have been keenly waiting for a sign. Let this article be the sign you have been waiting for and change your life today. Stop letting misery rule over you and let your conscience take control and lead you on the path to eternal happiness.
Mastering, i.e., becoming in charge of your emotional reactions is indeed an important function of development to adulthood. At the same time, I think it is beyond having normal psychological integration to “… live in a perpetual state of happiness and rid your life of all negativity.” To get to that point could also reflect someone who is rather psychologically split, i.e., does not allow himself to acknowledge or experience certain emotions, because those emotions are threatening to him in some way. This is simply the misuse of psychological defenses, which otherwise are very important to healthy functioning. There are no “bad” emotions. Upon first feeling an emotion, you are simply detecting your “automatic” and quick assessment of a situation. Emotion in this way is simply a detection device. We can then foster that emotion to increase it or use a defense to decrease it. It is this latter part over which we have some control.
That there are no “bad” emotions, there is only productive versus unproductive or helpful versus unhelpful ways of dealing with the emotion. Anger can be an extremely productive emotion when used as motivation to take an action that is helpful and productive. For example, it may be the impetus to take action to stop abuse of someone. Simply decreasing anger and rationalizing it away in the face of abuse is not helpful to ending the abuse. This is just one example.
In our pursuit of personal “freedom” we must also be wary of an kind of wishful thinking that we can somehow become independent of all natural functioning. There is usefulness for all natural functioning. It is our job to understand when it is useful and when not. Yes, to become in charge of these functions so we are also not slaves to them, as an addict might become, is important but just as important is not to deny our fundamental need for them in living our lives as complete human beings and not using our psychological defenses to deny their existence and thereby distorting our human personhood.